Sel de la Terre: Wine Tuesday “South America”

I haven’t been to one in ages.  Or maybe it was with Kelly? I keep wanting to but end up being busy or away.  They still know me tho.. so this Tuesday I had my usual corner table waiting for me.

South America, a favorite of mine for wines… MMMMM Argentinian and Chilean wines!!!

Amuse Bouche
Smoked Salmon Crostini with Chive Creme Fraiche

Delicious bite.  I ate this in a few bites so I wished that the smoked salmon was in smaller pieces so I didn’t have to use my finger to help bite off bits of it.  It could’ve used a bit of caper and onion tho. :]  I’m OG like that.

There were only two other tables and our wine pourer remembered me so we got BIG BIG pours :D

First Course
ASF Vegetables, Jonah Crab, Citrus Vinaigrette
Paired with 2010 Torrentes, Crios de Susana Balbo, Salta, Argentina

This was delightful.  I tend to get dressings on the side so my salad doesn’t wilt or is overly dressed and soggy but this was fantastical.  A nice slightly ocean-y crab taste on top of  a nice variety of fresh greens, tomato and thin radish. YUM

Second Course
Roasted Garlic and Herb Sole, ASF Heirloom Tomatoes, Braised ASF Greens
Paired with 2010 Erraszuriz, “Wild Ferment”, Chardonnay, Chile

Pan Fried and stuffed with… stuffing? Some sort of sop. it was good, a bit salty so I ended up picking some of it out.  The Sole filet was folded over so the stuffing was cooked inside, and then set atop of raw heirloom tomatoes.  Which was nice, refreshing, but also surprising, I expected cooking tomato.  Under the tomato was braised greens, that tasted super asian-y YUM.. I’m guessing sweet potato grees?!… Anyways back t the sole: The outside was crisp and the inner was fluffy and flaked away. YUM.

Main Course
BBQ Braised Pork, Sweet Corn Relish, Apple Gastrique
Paired with 2009 Malbec, Alfredo Roca, Mendoza, Argentina

The pork was super tender and I loved the mixture of corn and apples.  It seemed like the perfect, end to Summer. hello to Autumn dish. BUT it was SO overly sweet… And the fact that I was already full on the dishes before and a ton of wine

Fromage Course
Bayley Hazen
Paired with 2006 Concha y Toro, “Lourdes Vineyard”, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Maule Valley, Chile

This was a nice moldy not too stinky blue cheese… I’ve been trying not to eat too much dairy products lately since W suggested that my tummyaches may be a result of eating them.  Seems like he may be right.I still have some cheese, just not in overabundance like I usually do ;D  The plate was also filled with fruit preserves, chopped up dried figs, pecans, almond slices, pistachios, halved grapes, slices apple and some truffle honey. SOOO good.  All the contrasting textures and flavors with the fruits, nuts, cheeses were amazing, you didn’t even need the crostini.  I had my cheese with some honey on apple slices MMMMM….

Another amazing meal.  Thanks SDLT see you next time when I’m back in town!

“Are you a Vegetarian?”

And yes I actually got asked that, the waitress only saw me eat the last two dishes and not my starter.. so I guess that’s why, but still… always awkward when I get asked since I’m SUCH a huge meat eater. HAHA. OMNOMNIVORE!

Worked late and then headed over to one of W’s restaurants, Bourban Steak,  for some grub.  I was craving some raw meat and W knows me too well so I sipped my water and the first thing I got sent was delicious RAW BEEF!

This was the closet thing to a tartare they have… MMMMM

Kobe Beef “Kibbeh”

Cucumber Yogurt, Pickled Beets, Grilled Pita Bread

Totally satiated my craving for tender raw meat.  Haha always reminds me of the movie P in the part where eating raw meat turns her evil LOL…. I’m an evil mofo ;]

OK, onwards to my vegetarian part I suppose… SOOOO GOOD and carbo loading <3

Fava Beans and Sprouts on a Crostini, SOOOOOO FREAKING GOOD.  DE-VOURED!

And a yummy panzanella… toasted crunchy croutons with tomatoes, onoins and more sprouts. SOOO GOOOOOOD

I am a happppppppy girl :]

W fed me well, once again :]

A full Tiffie is a happy Tiffie :]

Re-living a delicious memory…at TORO

W got into town to cook for the Clio 15th Anniversary Dinner June 5.  All the great names were there… and obviously my amazingly talented boyfriend <3  So Sunday night after he got in we went to re-live our faithful frigid and yummy night in January at Toro.  OK it was still a bit chilly this night.. good thing I FINALLY listened to W and switched my shorts for pants.  And, of course, I paired my outfit with super high platform heels – I can’t help it.  I love to tower.

We got there just a few minutes after A & J around 5:30 who were just starting to enjoy a cocktail and beer, and we were immediately seated.   Good thing too cuz Toro, per usual, filled up FAST — I started with one of my fav cocktails from Toro… the Cabana Boy. Canton Ginger, spiced rum, pineapple.

We even sat the way we did that night, except J replaced S :]   And no paron.  And once again, we had a ton of food. A TON, possibly more than before?! Not sure… the bread was a-flowing and some of the highlights were these: Egg Omelette, Buffalo Heart, Pimientos, Sweetbreads [amaze balls], Tuna, Oysters, Goat Cheese [which was actually really creaaaammmy and light], Salt Cod Fritters [which tasted like delicious McDonald's Filet O' Fish in a ball of fried goodness, NO LIE], Pork Belly, Pulled Pork, just to name a few off the top of my head. We had a beautiful Spanish wine picked out by A.

But the dinner started out with a special charcuterie plate from Chef Jamie Biss. UM. SWOON.

Everything was delicious.  I wanted to order another platter – JUST FOR ME – I haven’t had a “just cheese, charcuterie and wine” dinner in awhile – THIS would SO be one of the ultimates.  That Pork Pate at the right end.  Atop chopped up kimchi – fucking fantasmic. YES.  Swearing needs to happen.  Bad language is accepted with the food is this fucking awesome.

Special of the Day: Tripe Chili with avocado and Crema.  Oh you heard right, it’s like a Fat Asian Girl’s wet dream AKA MINE!  Tender pulled pork, beans, etc… all the chili components and then TRIPE. FUCKING TRIPE.  I LOOOOOOOOOVE TRIPE.  This is like tripe porno tuesday for Miss Tiffie… except.. on a Sunday… and… only two dishes of tripe.

Bone Marrow for a Double Date.  One of us an one for them.  Perfect as always.

And hands down, BEST dish of the night was the Green Curry Tripe… tripe?  Tripe that felt like TENDON.  A and I told Jamie straight up we wanted to BATHHHHHHHHE in this and lick it off each other.  Ok, I may have added that licking part in but at least I WOULD ;]  Melted on your tongue into a bliss of green curry…. and ever-so-sultry like sliiiiiiiiiiiides down your throat. I want to SOAK in this.  Hell, I’d lick it off myself. JOY.

An amazing [early] night with great friends.  I always have an amazing time eating with A & J :]  See previous.  Oh, we ended the night in churros. You know that’s always a plus.

The rest of the night? Sex, Love and Rock n’ Roll baby <3

菊島 – 澎湖海鮮餐廳 Seafood Restaurant

Dressed up and headed off to Hsinchu to see some relatives and eat some good grub early this morning…. new Tod’s foxfur purple bag and furry Prada boots :]  I gots my hair curled and wore some cute short shorts!! HUZZAH!!

Eating Wax Apples/Bell Fruit/蓮霧 on the HSR :] One of my favorite fruits EVER AND I’ve only ever since it here in Asia – none in the States :[ BOO!

When we got to the station we waited for some of my aunts to get there, I was starved so I stopped by the 7 to get some grub...

Salads... For Men, For Women...

Fried Patties? In the fridge?!... interesting...

Steamed bunnnsss!!!

SNAUUUUUSAGES!!!

And then I got some of this yummies

Deliciousness!!!

YAYYYY!!! My fav sort of cheap eats...

Daikon :D

We got to my uncles house and had our own little tea time...
Aren't these tea strainers and cups cute?! They're from Starbucks!! How come we don't sell these in the States? BOO!!!

The most delicious cheesecake in Taiwan :] From a little bakery in Taichung near my aunt’s house!!

Eating cheesecake, peanuts, oranges, cookies and others ALL right before dinner time… :]

菊島 – 澎湖海鮮餐廳 Seafood Restaurant has been open for only a month or so…

A nice welcoming sign :] The lady of the house was a pretty young lady by the name of Sophia!!! She was so nice and came to talk to us :]

My Uncle is pretty VIP and has already been to this restaurant like 4x so we got the Chef’s Tasting… we had no idea how many courses or what was coming out, just a set price and lots of yummies brought out to us!

Housemade super spicy Kimchi. DELICIOUS!

Salad with a Japanese dressing…

Corn, okra, cucumber, apple, asparagus, onions and lettuce!! YUM!!!

Conch and Sashimi plate!

Delicious crunchy fresh conch and tender super super fresh sashimi!!!! :D

Blowfish Skin Sashimi & Quickly Poached Oysters

You pour this garlicky sauce over the raw blowfish skin.. it was crunchy and SO good. A little fishy but fantastic. What a great experience.  The poached oysters were fat and juicy and full of flavor.. but it was the skin that totally won my tummy over.

Fried octopus balls and Fried seafood/chinese chives rolls

I completely fell in love with the octopus balls, they may have been fried but were super light and the innards were ALL octopus, no batter so definitely not like takoyaki.  These were SO good and dense of octopus, tender octopus.  The seaweed rolls were filled with unrecognizable parts of seafood… me thinking squid and sorts. and lots of chinese chives.

Seaweed with  Baby Clams

The seaweed was cooked to the point of mushy but so goood… delicious seaweed taste and simply cooked with juicy tender fresh baby clams! YUM!

Thinly sliced Sirloin with Ginger and Gingko

Each piece of beef had a thin slice of ginger on it.  Simply cooked in a light broth filled with plump juicy gingko seeds.

Sake Shot :]

Partway thru the beginning of dinner we started drinking cold shots of sake – SO YUM!

They brought out a HUGE plate of mixed veggies and mushrooms.. filled with lily bulbs, gingko seeds and a variety of wild mushrooms YUM

Spicy Fried Fish [烏魚 - Mullet] Belly over Flash Fried Basil

The flash fried basil just melted on your tongue into a delicious basil-y goodness… the fish belly was thick and tender and super juicy and mixed with a spicy spice blend and fried. SO GOOD!

Next came Scorpionfish cooked over pickled cabbage and thickly sliced raw scallions
Tender and while not meaty, we had this earlier before and I was so in love with the pickled cabbage… YUM!  Wish it was meatier.. :[ Hahah I probably could've eaten the whole thing by myself in minutes... but #mustbealady ;D

Miso Fish Soup

A nice huge hunk of fish.. while boney, so delicious and lots of daikon

Pumpkin Rice Noodles [米粉] stir-fried with Pumpkin, Fatty Pork and baby Clams

Apparently this stuff is famous in HsinChu… oh oh oh oh oh so yummy!!!

I got a nice big bowl of it and ate it all up.  The noodles were tender and orange and pumpkin-y all on it’s own.. not to mention TONS of slivers of tenderly cooked pumpkin with the occasional bite of baby clam or fatty pork. YUM!

After a satisfying and totally delicious meal, out came a light dessert.. Asian ppl have fruit for dessert ;]

Jelly made from 愛玉 [Ficus pumila var. awkeotsang] flavored with caramel and a splash of lemon juice

SO good and refreshing!!!

This place was delicious and totally recommended!!!  It’s brand new and hopefully here to stay.. hopefully it just gets better :] YUM!

Osteria Morini, Best Way To Complete a Day of FUN

Monday night, a friend was in town for work from Cali, so we all decided to hit up another Michael White baby.. Osteria Morini… Yep, just the night before we were at Marea and a few days before that, we were at Ai Fiori :]  After a long day of shopping, eating at DD, Dim Sum Go Go and Xi’An Famous Foods [omg Cumin Lamb Noodles are TO DIE FOR! - YOOO Hand Pulled NOODLES!!!]

  
  

Click here to see my Video of making Hand-Pulled Noodles @ Xi’An

Tons of shopping bags, a full belly, too much walking and a bottle of champagne in us later…. we got ready for another Chef White dinner – woot woot! 3 Michael White restos in a week?! AWESOME!

Me and Rhino.

Famous Celebrity Penis and Boob wall next to Osteria Morini – teehee…

Their sign actually reminds me of Yakitori Totto‘s :]

After sitting down at a table in the back near the kitchen we ordered a bottle of wine [and then another since it was so yummy] and picked out a slew of delicious yummies…

We were first greeted with a complimentary dish from the Chef.

Carciofo Fritelle
Artichoke, Chickpeas, Red Pepper, Nepitella Crema

Basically a chickpea veggie fritter or croquette minus the potatoes — Delicious, light, fluffy – full of creamy chickpea flavor and hints of artichoke and peppers.. delish!  Fried to perfection and over a drizzle of Nepitella cream on the bottom…. Nepitella is a wild herb of the Mint family grown in Italy

Battilardo Di Affetatti
Cured Sliced Meats with Grilled Bread & Tigelle Modenese
Fegatini – Duck Liver Mousse, Passito Wine
Coppa - Cured Pork Neck
& Lardo – Prosciutto Bianco
The liver was TO die for and definitely the hit of the night for the charcuterie.  Creamy, full of flavor and paired SO well with the nice crunchy grilled bread.  The white round disks were flat fluffy bread.. I preferred the grilled crostinis though.  The coppa was salty, porky and full of flavor.  A nice balance of meat and fat… delicious.. and of course, the lardo, the fat, sliced super thin I could’ve eaten it all straight, but instead daintily placed it on my crostini and nibbled like a lady :]

Spiedini Per La Tavola: Assorted Skewers Alla Piastra
Maiale – Sausage, Sweetbread, Zucchini, Cauliflower, Tomato
Lumache – Grilled Snails Wrapped in Rosemary Lardo

The sausage was delicious… which was a blend of lamb and pork…. the sweetbread was a tiny piece but perfectly cooked… the zucchini and cauliflower and tomatoes were also grilled to perfection. Delicious.. which I had my own skewer though…

The snails were SOOOOO tender and delicious.  It was great with a nice squirt of lemon and was great with the crostini but I enjoyed it better without – I like tasting things for their very own flavor. A GREAT run with snails lately…. First Plein Sud, then Marea and now here. YUM.  New trend :]

Carpaccio
Thinly Sliced Beef, Arugula, Lemon, Parmigiano

This was actually very similar to a Bresaola.. a cured/salted and dried beef.  I was kind of disappointed since I was expecting melt in your mouth paper thin beef.. these came in hugeeeee salty pieces that were pretty thick for a carpaccio, covered in a delicious olive oil [White is good with his oil] and the flavors packed a mean punch.  A little bit too much oil for me but was much better balanced with the parm and the bitter arugula. Mwahahah I still ended up eating like half the dish anyways :] NOM!

Ventresca
Olive Oil Poached Tuna Belly, Fava Beans, Fagioli

This was SUCH a good pick!  Definitely my favorite non-pasta dish of the night.  The tuna belly, while I usually don’t like fully cooked tuna was poached SO beautifully.. instead of the fat becoming overpowering, it just turned into butter and made the flesh soooo tender and succulent – super juicy.  The nice balance of some pickled red onion and perfectly cooked fava and fagiolis really added a nice freshness to the dish.  Felt like spring.  YES, spring is here.

Rigatoni
Ground Seppia, Shrimp, Fava Beans, Stracchino Cheese

The rigatoni was cooked to perfection, per usual, the fava beans [yessss!!!! I LOOOOVE spring!!!]  The creamy cheesiness of the stracchino and the flavorful seppia really added SO much to the dish. LOVE LOVE LOVE.  Not to mention how the green favas added a beautiful punch of green to the dish.

Gnocchi
Ricotta Dumplings, Pomodoro, Speck & Basil

Now, it’s been awhile since I’ve had amazing gnocchi – the best probably being Le Cirque or Mizuna….I mean the last time I had gnocchi was horrible.  Horrible gnocchi which ended in a horrible night. [Long story] Horrible gnocchi sucks… heavy, dense… NOT fluffy… but these WERE not.  Super light tomato sauce, which I ADORED…a hint of speck and basil…. but omg the gnocchi… SO fluffy and pillowy.. they tasted more like pasta dough pillows and not the fluffy potato-y kinds but it was a good kind of chew and yum!

Garganelli
Pasta Quills, Cream, Truffle Butter, Prosciutto

Like long skinny pennes.. model pennes?  While regular pennes are regular people? I duno, bad analogy.  Creamy, simple, the prosciutto was SO delicious and while there wasn’t a lot, it added SO much flavor to the dish.  Very light truffle but definitely did a lot for the pasta.  Once again PERFECTLY cooked pasta.

Before we get to the final pasta dish of the night, AND my favorite — I just have to say while I loved Marea, I was disappointed in their pastas being slightly undercooked…  especially when I had White’s other restaurant the next day.  I know that Marea is “prized” above Osteria Morini to some foodies but for me, DELICIOUS.

Ok, sorry for the break, continue.

Stracci
Pasta Rags, Braised Wild Mushrooms, Rosemary Oil

My favorite of the night.. here it is in all it’s glory.  Thick juicy flavorful mushrooms admist the large “rags” of thin delicate pasta. SO FREAKING GOOD.. and addicting.  It was like eating delicious thin thin egg wonton wraps – WHICH I’m SO thinking of doing tomorrow night :] Hahaha…  We ended up adding more cheese and some hot pepper flakes to all the pastas.. well, I added the hot pepper flakes, everything else just had TONS of cheese :D

We were super happy and had warm bellies.. but since we were still on our second bottle of wine and I needed some chocolate and sweetness to push down all the savory we ordered one dessert to share amongst the three of us.

Gianduja Budino
Chocolate-Hazelnut Custard, Gelato Alla Caffe

SO FREAKING DELICIOUS.  The thin crunchy, flakey puff  topping on top was TO DIEEEEE FOR.  Delicious gelato and the MOOOOOST CREAMMMMMY hazelnutty and chocolatey,BUTTTTTERY custard. OH EM GEE.  It also came with whole roasted hazelnuts in a delicious light sauce drizzled around it.  Sort of burnt caramely if i remember correctly.  BUT, anyways. continue. SOOOO GOOOD.. I don’t even ever usually order hazelut/choc desserts since they all taste like nutella!  I LOVE nutella.. but since I buy it and religiously eat them out of the jar like crazy it’s not too big of a deal usually when desserts taste just like them. THIS is NOT the case. GET THIS.  DEVOUR IT. SAVOUR IT. LOVE IT. LIVE IT. Ok. Done.

Delicious.  After a great meal we walked over to Madame Geneva.. but since it was Memorial Day and it was closed, we ended up heading over to the rooftop, Plunge bar/lounge, at the Gansevoort Hotel.

Spring is here, Ramp Tasting Menu @ Marc Forgione

Last time I was supposed to come eat at Marc Forgione the day I got back from Miami… I met Marc at the Let Them Eat Cake Party in South Beach for the SOBE Wine&Food Festival 2011 earlier this year… SUPER nice guy!!!!

Totally rocks the fauxhawk!.. I think Z might want to get one too now haha PLUS the newest, and super BAD ASS Iron Chef!!!! :] Who knew even though he’s all sorts of awesomeness, fame and DELICIOUS cooking that he was SO down to earth and so hands on, still, at his restaurant – SO awesome. RESPECT! I love it when a chef still cooks at his own place!

He’s freaking ONLY 32 years young and already has accomplished SO much….

“Marc was most recently coveted with a single Michelin star in the 2011 guide, making him the youngest American-born chef and owner to receive the honor in consecutive years (2010, 2011). In addition, Marc received a two-star review from Sam Sifton of The New York Times.^[5]

The restaurant also earned the distinction of being named “Key Newcomer” by Zagat Guide 2009, “Top 25 Restaurants in NYC” by Modern Luxury magazine and “All Star Eatery” by Forbes magazine. Marc was awarded “Star Chefs Rising Star of the Year Award 2010,” named “Rising Star 2008″ from Restaurant Hospitality magazine and mentioned “New Formalist” by Esquire magazine in 2008.”

Anyways I was sad I missed last time’s reservation due to a super delayed flight *sad face* – BUT he wasn’t gonna be cooking there that night anyways so I hoped he would this time. I tweeted him and soon got a tweet back! WOOHOO!!!…

Look how freaking excited I am. I’ve been SO busy with work lately and been working til around 730 every night, so I made some resos for 845. NOM NOM NOM. So freaking excited.

LOVE the ambience.  We got a nice corner table in the back and just loved the rustic coziness of the place. It was late and it was PACKED. On a weekday – amazing!!!!  I also freaked out the table of Southerners next to me, I couldn’t stop talking to them and asking them about their food :] Silly me….

Bottle #1… and #2 — yeahhh we got two bottles of this :D It was really really good!!

As soon as we sat down we ordered a delicious bottle of red… and while we had planned on ordering from the regular menu and the special [spaghetti] as soon as I saw RAMP TASTING on the bottom of the menu, I KNEW I had to get it…. RAMPS RAMPS RAMPS… I love Ramps, now it really feels like Spring is here and Summer is coming *swoon*

We got some delicious Hot Rolls.. buttery salty tops and some butter…

Tasted like a soft soft pretzel, the skin wasn’t chewy like a pretzel – in heaven! LOVE! Look at that glistening crust… an the little specks of salty crunchiness, YUM!

Amuse Bouche –
Local Fluke Crudo, Shaved Ramps, Ramp Oil
White Asparagus Gazpacho, Ramp Chips
Hangtown Fry, Ramp Remoulade

We were told to eat the Local Fluke Crudo, Shaved Ramps, Ramp Oil first.  Just wrap up the fluke in the ramp leaf and chew chew chew. Cheers and down the hatch. So much flavor. The fish was so fresh and perfectly seasoned. MMMM, the ramp had so much delicious flavor. Simple and yummy.

Next up was a nice cooling “shot” aka spoon of White Asparagus Gazpacho, Ramp Chips… a slight crunch with the nice cooling gazpacho. Delicious. The asparagus flavor was definitely very subtle but great.

OH EM GEE.  The Hangtown Fry, Ramp Remoulade tastes like Honey BBQ Frito Chips!!! NO LIE!!! And I mean it in the best way.  The top is an omelette and underneath is delicious fried goodness. Creamy remoulade on the bottom – OH EM GEE x 100 So much texture and flavors.

Yep, after this course I had serious ramp breath, ALREADY — delicious!!!! So satisfied and yet still craving more and moreeee…… I even tweeted about it.. yep, my delicious RAMP BREATH.. so SEXY!!! Come on guys, you know you love a girl with stinky ramp breath…. no? NO? :[ Not even an Asian one? Any yellow fever guys raising your hands? HAHAHA.. jk jk :] My mommy loves me for who I am… sometimes, but my puppy always loves me and my stinky ramp breath. As does Z [hopefully teehee]

So for the next course…

You take the Sechuan Button, which is like a chinese mint leaf but has a numbing effect like a sechuan peppercorn….. AMAZING and TOTALLY opens up your palate!!! And then you take the spoon, which is basically the “first bite”

Hiramasa, Ramp Essence, Avocado, Sechuan Buttons, Saratoga Chips, Pinenuts

Amazingly fresh fish atop HUGE chunks of beautiful vibrant green avocado.  The sauce was a bit on the sweet side, but unlike the last time I was faced with a sweet sauce, I really adored this dish. The chips also paired SO well beause it gave a needed crunch with the tartare.  This was SO refreshing and the Sechuan Button, I COULD NOT GET OVER IT!!!!

~~~~~

Sechuan buttons, a trade name for Brazil’s native “Toothache Plant,” don’t actually taste like much, but chew a few petals and the tongue tingles fiercely for a few moments, and then a curious half-numb, half-effervescent feeling spreads through the mouth. 

Source: Esquire

~~~~~

Still Attached Diver Sea Scallop, Ramp-Roe Vinaigrette, Marcelli’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil, American Caviar

Up close, sexy and personal!

The scallop was just QUICKLY cooked, like SUPER quickly so it’s basically JUST cooked on the outside but raw on the inside.  It was warmed through perfectly and the salty caviar added SO much flavor to it.  The ramp wasn’t as pronounced as the other previous dishes but it was extremely delicious.  I love scallops as simple as possible! #scallopaddict

And then came what we really wanted… okay not the finger bowl, but as soon as the finger bowl was brought out we KNEW what it was..

This wasn’t part of the Ramp Tasting [obviously] but I had been daydreaming about trying Chef Forgione’s FAMOUS Chili Lobster for awhile now….

Chili Lobster, Texas Toast

Chef brought it out to us himself! OMG. So awesome. Even more points added to his fantastic-ness!!!! MAD PROPS!!! RESPECT x 100

While I wish there were more lobster in it the lobster was SO perfectly cooked. PERFECTLY COOKED. Now, mind you, I’m SO picky with my lobster and usually ONLY eat it steamed… and I also avoid lobster from NYC and tend to just go back to New England [Boston or Maine] to give in to my lobster cravings. OMG. This stuff is CRACK. This SAUCE is AMAZING.. and the Texas Toast?!?!?!… We had to order another plate of it.

This sauce is NOT going to waste!!!! Sopped it up with the delicious toast – NOM!

Ok, after licking the bowl CLLLLLLLEAN…. onwards with our Ramp Tasting…

Ramp Ice Cream, Shaved Foie Gras

This would be an AMAZING dessert… the saltiness with a, kid you not, SWEET ramp ice cream. I mean who would’ve thought… totally should put this at the end of the meal, ALTHOUGH it’s a nice creamy cool “palate cleanser” of some sort hehe. YUM!… I love shaved foie!!

Ramp Spaghetti, English Peas, North Country Bacon, Morel Mushrooms

This was like a Carbonara… except even richer and super delicious!  The night “meaty” morels were amazing.. the pasta was cooked al dente – perfect and was just SO delicious… the peas were SO fresh and a vibrant green color… unlike last time we ate [or didn't eat because they looked mush narsty] some peas – I could’ve eaten a HUUUUGE bowl of this stuff, what a tease… so creamy and succulent. Totally naughty :] In the best way possible…

“Steak & Eggs”, Yellowfin Tuna, Dickson’s Tasso, Feather Ridge Farm Egg, Grilled Ramps, Ginger Ketchup, Koppert Kress Pea Shoots

PERFECTLY cooked egg. This was a freaking 40 minute egg – INSANE… cooked at a low temp… OOOOOOOMG. Z’s came out a little bit more cooked than mine, but still yolky just a little more solid than mine:

Isn’t it so freaking sexy?!?!!?… I usually don’t like Seared Tuna [unless in Nicoise Salads] but this was really good…, definitely cooked a little more than I’m used to… all the flavors and textures weren’t even overwhleming…. the plate looks like SO much but it all went together SO well.  The crisp tasso.. the silky egg… the egg whites were so creamy… the grilled ramps and a nice solid tuna. YUM!

Ramp Crusted Lamb Loin, Green Garlic Croquettes, North Fork Asparagus, Ramp Sea Salt, Natural Jus

I must admit, this was pretty delicious. Rare and not lamb-y [gamey] at ALL!  Z adored it and thought it was perfectly cooked. Demolished!

But since I’m not a huge lamb eater, I asked to replace my main entree with the Monkfish. Chef did suggest either the Steak or Duck course [I guess since it's all red meat] but I was pretty set on Monkfish before we even got to the restaurant that night haha.

Maine Monkfish, Satur Farms Carrots, Currants, Walnuts, Thai Red Curry 

… I spy with my naked eye, some ramps in there, Chef, you clever thing you :D SO delicious. I LOOOVE red curry, it’s my favorite type of Thai curry, in fact [other than Jungle curry hehe] the carrots were glazed and super sweet, yum.. cut right through the curry sauce and the SUPER succulent monkfish. Monkfish is amazing, why don’t I eat it more?  I don’t remember walnuts in here… but I got the description off the website haha…  but yes let me talk about those sexy ramps again <3 RAMPS!!!!

Bottle #3

Kitchen Tour after the savory courses…

It’s pretty small, SO insane that SO much food comes out of it and such a good pace and absolutely delicious! Props!!! MADDDD props :] We talked to the sous Chef, SO nice and then he said that it was NOT even CLOSE to the end yet.. wait what?! We didn’t even look at dessert menus.. but they have it prepared for us already ;D I don’t know if it was on the house or not but they were amazing choices.. and I was already onto our third bottle of wine… but this is good.. its’ always so hard to make choices for myself when it comes to dessert… and lushed up. I want ike 10 of everything at that point.

Jameson Ice Cream Cones

If I wasn’t such a lush I TOTALLY would’ve gotten drunk off of these. HOLY MOLY. The most amazing Jameson infused ice cream. Creamy, sweet [but not too sweet] and BOOOOOOOZEY!!!.. What’s NOT to love. Ice cream always makes me happy :] When I’m sad, an ice cream cone always puts a smile on my face. [and rainbow sprinkles of course hehehe... but I forgive you Chef, you didn't know haha]

Blueberry Cobbler Sundae, Candied Walnuts

I saw Chef’s tweet about this just recently.. and OMG… this was amazing. I don’t even remember breathing inbetween bites of this deliciousness… nom nom nom nom nom… all sorts of textures and the crumble, the blueberry.. the ice cream OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG… even just thinking back on it makes my brain turn to mush. THAT good! Get it while you can!

Cooked to Order Chocolate Chip Cookies and a Shot of Milk

YES. YOU HEARD ME RIGHT.  Cooked to F-ing ORDER! WARM, GOOEY, delicious. And the shot of milk – GENIUS. Dip dip in the WHOLE FAT milk [hahaha as you can see I was deprived as a kid, I've only ever drunken skim milk]

AND THEN… OK.. I was pretty tipsy by now… Z and I both think this was some sort of Toffee Brownie Bite… it’s like if a BLONDIE and a Brownie had babies… but definitely more of a Blondie taste :D NOM!

I feel like I’m cheating on Resto… but SHHH don’t tell Bobby, I’m in love with Marc’s food tooooooooo :D We were still drinking and nibbling when Marc left for the night, and he even came over to say byeeeee… and during the dinner he even said he saw my tweets *blush* I’m such a #twitterwhore HEHE. OMG coolest chef!!!

MUST. COME. BACK. ASAP!